“I know. They were great. I loved them.”
“I know you did, Brody. You need to honor their love for you. They wanted you to have a place to build the home that you would share with your mate.”
Brody hesitated. Mary and Jake McKade had showed him the land that they had wanted him to have. It was a nice area that had a great view of the north pasture. There was an area with a babbling brook that he used to explore as a kid when he and Deuce had taken time away from ranch chores. The small lake not far from the main ranch could also be seen from the crest of the hill in the center of the parcel of land. Brody loved it there.
”You’d better draw up the plans, Brody. Come spring, we’ll be breaking ground on your home. I don’t think you should let us do it without the plans that you and your mate design,” Deuce said, interrupting his thoughts.
“Deuce,” Brody began.
“Look, Brody, we can either argue about this all night, or you can give in and accept that my parents wanted you to settle on McKade land. That parcel is already deeded in your name. They wanted you to have the blessings of the Great Spirit. You can’t say no. It’s destined to be.”
Brody was silent for a moment. He thought about his aunt and uncle and knew that their gift to him had been given from their hearts. He also thought about the time his Uncle Jake had taken him aside to tell him that he had a path ahead of him that was an important one.
“Brody, you have a destiny that you can’t deny,” the elder Jake McKade had told him. “You’re destined to be a healer. You’re also destined to be a husband and a father. You have to keep yourself open to the possibility of love.”
“Uncle Jake, I don’t think I’ll ever have the chance to love anyone,” Brody had told him sadly.
“I’ll tell you something, Brody,” his uncle had said quietly. “The women of our land are gifted with special abilities, but the men have also been blessed by the Great Spirit. We have the ability to sense our mates when we meet them. We know when a woman is meant to be ours, and it’s our responsibility to protect and cherish them with every bit of strength that we have. Our mates are a beautiful gift to us, and the children they bear us are treasures.”
“I’ll never have a mate or kids, Uncle Jake,” Brody had told him with surety.
Brody remembered how his uncle had laughed softly at his denial. He had wrapped his arms around Brody and had hugged him tightly.
“You will, Brody,” he had told him quietly. “There’s a woman out there who will be perfect for you, and you’re going to have a house full of kids. You’re going to be able to sense every baby the moment they’re conceived. And you will love that ability. It will settle something in you to know that your child is growing inside of your woman. Trust me. You’re meant to be a husband and a father. You have a good heart, and you’re meant to help others. I know you’ll be exactly what you’re meant to be.”
Brody felt a tightness in his chest as he remembered how much Uncle Jake and Aunt Mary had believed in him. All of the McKades believed in him.
“You’re family, Brody,” Deuce said, reaching up and gathering him within his arms. He hugged his cousin firmly, knowing that Brody needed the assurance that he was indeed part of the family. He always had been, and he always would be. “You need to be on family land with your mate.”
Brody sighed and nodded. “I want to be,” he admitted finally. “I’ll talk to Trina about it.”
“Good. You’re going to need a home for all of your kids,” Deuce said calmly.
Brody looked at Deuce in surprise. How in the hell did he know that?
“Deuce, you’re freaky sometimes,” Brody said, shaking his head.
“Yeah. I know. I get it from my father.”
Brody smiled as he faced his cousin. It was like Uncle Jake was telling him to follow his destiny to be happy with a mate and kids all over again.
“You’re not going to argue with me about it, are you, Brody?” Deuce asked him, raising his left eyebrow as he looked at his cousin.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Deuce,” Brody answered, laughing softly.
“Good. I would hate to have to fight you over it. You wouldn’t win.”
Brody just shook his head as he turned and walked out of Jake’s hospital room. Thinking about Trina and the life they were destined to share, he knew that his Uncle Jake was right. Deuce was right. For the first time in his life, Brody was confident that he was going to do the exact thing that Deuce had just told him he wasn’t going to be able to do.
He was going to win.
Chapter 33
“Claire, I don’t want to wear sleep pants and a T-shirt to bed,” Jake groused. “Since when have I ever worn anything to bed with you since we mated?”
Claire smiled at him and waited. She held the soft sleep pants and T-shirt in her hand, waiting for him to give in. She knew he would. She also knew that he would complain about it.
“Jake, I love sleeping next to you naked,” she admitted.
“Then it’s settled.”
“No. It’s not settled,” she told him calmly. “It’s important that you stay warm.”
“Claire, I’m warm,” he told her, growling softly at her stubbornness.
“Okay, let me explain it better,” Claire said, sighing softly as she sat down on their bed and reached for his left hand to entwine her fingers with his as he stood in front of her. “I’m going to use warm oils to massage your neck, shoulder, and back. Even though your butt and legs don’t need the attention, I’m going to massage them as well.”
“You are, huh?” Jake asked, anger leaving him and happiness filling him at his woman’s admission.
“Humor me, cowboy.”
“Okay, angel.”
“Once I finish the massage, you have to put on your sleep pants and T-shirt to keep in the warmth. You’ll get a chill otherwise, and I can’t allow that to happen,” Claire said with determination. “I’m going to tuck you in and make sure your muscles stay loose and warm. You can sleep next to me with these clothes on for once, Jake.”
Jake hesitated. “Just once?”
“Well, maybe twice,” Claire admitted. “I’ll decide what’s best for you once you’ve slept through the night. You’re also going to take one of the pain pills that Brody prescribed for you.”
“I’m not taking any more damned pills, Claire,” Jake said angrily, his face contorting in pain as the muscles of his body tightened because of his anger. “They make my mind fuzzy. I feel like I’m running in molasses.”
“I know, Jake, but you have to remain relaxed,” Claire said gently. “You have to allow your body to heal and that won’t happen if you’re tense.”
Jake huffed angrily. “I can stay relaxed as long as you’re with me,” he said firmly.
“To a degree, that’s true,” Claire admitted. “The pill will help you to release the tension. You and I both know that you’re constantly thinking and worrying about keeping me safe. You don’t have to worry about it. Deuce is here. Rafe is here. The entire family is close by. You and I are surrounded by people who will make sure that we’re safe.”
“You’re my responsibility, Claire,” Jake said, growling softly at the thought of any other man protecting his woman.
“And you’re mine,” Claire reminded him immediately. “Don’t get all caveman on me, Jake McKade. You know that I can take care of myself.”
“I know, angel, but I want to do that.”
“I know, cowboy, but I don’t need you to.”
Jake’s blue eyes flashed with anger and frustration. Claire never gave an inch when she had her mind set on something.
“Claire,” he said softly, reaching out and touching her left cheek lightly. “I love you. I need to protect you. I need to take care of you and our baby.”
“And you do a good job of doing that, Jake,” Claire said gently. “I love it when you take care of us, but I can also take care of us, and I love taking care of you.”
Jake closed his eyes a
nd leaned down to rest his head against his mate’s forehead. “We’re at an impasse,” he said quietly.
“No, we’re not. We’re loving each other and staking our claim,” Claire said, disagreeing. “We both love each other. We both want to take care of each other. It’s just a matter of taking turns. Tonight, it’s my turn to spoil you. Okay?”
Jake sighed as he kissed her lips lightly. “Okay, angel. You can spoil me tonight.”
Claire just smiled. She didn’t need words to express her happiness at that moment. She was just thankful that he had accepted her need to help. She released his hand, tossed the pants and T-shirt onto the bed, and walked toward the bathroom.
He heard her running water and wondered what she was doing. In just a few minutes, she returned to the bedroom, wearing nothing but her sleep pants. She was gloriously naked from the waist up. Her full breasts looked beautiful in the soft glow of the bedside light.
“You look beautiful, angel,” Jake said softly.
“Thank you.”
She walked over to the bed and settled the warmed bottle of massage oil on it along with the two towels that she brought with her. Picking up the medicine bottle, she twisted open the cap and dumped one of the pills into her hand. She offered it to Jake along with the bottle of water that was already on the table.
“Take the pill, Jake,” she told him quietly. “Take off your clothes. Get on the bed. Lie down on your stomach. Relax.”
“Angel, how can I relax when you look like that?” Jake asked, laughing softly. “I want to pull you under me, spread your legs, and bury myself deep inside of you.”
“Well, you can’t,” Claire said without hesitation. “You’re in pain, and I’m tired.”
“You’re tired, angel?” Jake asked, concern superseding his orneriness.
“Yes. Your baby is making me tired.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I love being pregnant. I love you. I’m just frustrated with you right now. I’m not going to argue with you, cowboy. Take this pill. Get your clothes off and get your sexy ass into bed.”
He took the pill and popped it into his mouth then accepted the bottle of water from Claire and washed it down quickly with the cool liquid before handing the bottle back to his beautiful mate. He faced her silently for a moment as she looked up at him and waited patiently for him to remove his clothes.
“I’ll need your help,” Jake said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
“I’ll help you, but you need to keep your hands to yourself or I’m going to leave this bedroom and sleep in my old room.”
“You will not,” Jake nearly roared.
“Watch me.”
Jake clenched his teeth and took deep, even breaths as he fought to control himself. He couldn’t handle it if Claire walked out of their bedroom and left him to sleep alone. All his old fears of losing the woman that he loved raced through him.
He had to give himself a mental pep talk. Claire would never leave him. She promised him that she would grow old with him.
Lifting his hands, he began to unbutton his blue flannel shirt one button at a time. When his shirt was completely undone, Claire stepped forward and helped pull it from his body. She tossed it onto the bedside chair then reached for his waist, pulled his black T-shirt out of his jeans, and carefully maneuvered it over his head.
When she leaned against him and her breasts brushed his torso, he couldn’t help the moan of desire that escaped him. He reached up to wrap his arms around her body to hold her flush against him, but she stepped out of his embrace and shook her head slowly.
“Take off your jeans, Jake,” she told him.
He unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned the waistband, and unzipped his jeans, pushing them and his underwear slowly down his long legs. It wasn’t that he was trying to be seductive, it just hurt too damned much to bend and remove them. Claire must have sensed his discomfort, because she was in front of him in an instant, helping him to remove them.
As she knelt before him, he couldn’t help but reach down and grip her head between his hands and tighten his fingers within her long, silky hair. He loved it when she knelt before him.
Claire looked up at him with a soft smile on her face. Her brown eyes were sparkling with happiness. “Is there something you wanted me to do for you, sir?” she asked him, loving the way he gripped her hair tighter and pressed his hips forward to drag the length of his cock across her left cheek.
Claire turned her head just slightly and opened her mouth to capture the flared head of his cock and draw it slowly into her mouth. She ran her tongue along the underside of the cap and sucked firmly, pulling another moan of pleasure from her man.
“Claire,” he whispered. “Need you, angel.”
Claire released him from her mouth, stood up slowly, and dragged her breasts up his torso to stand before him. She kissed the beautiful tattoo on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist very gently.
“You’ve got me, Jake,” she told him, smiling up at him. “I want you to lie down very carefully.
“I want you to lie on top of me,” Jake told her, wrapping his arms around her back and holding her close. “Take my cock deep inside of you, angel.”
“Not tonight, cowboy,” Claire told him, shaking her head as she gently pulled from his arms and stepped away from him. “Get on your stomach. I need to massage your shoulders and back. If you behave yourself, I’ll massage something else.”
“You will?”
Claire nodded. “You’re going to have a happy ending massage, Jake,” she told him with a wink.
“How do you know about that, Claire?” Jake asked her, his voice deep with displeasure. He didn’t know how he felt about Claire knowing what a happy ending massage was.
“I heard about it when I was looking in to being a massage therapist. I didn’t know what it meant so I researched it on the computer, Jake,” Claire said, laughing softly. “Now that I have you in my life, I wanted to find some new ways to make you happy.”
“Claire,” Jake whispered, reaching out and touching her cheek lightly. “You make me happy all the time. Don’t you know that, angel?”
“I hope so.”
“Look at me.”
Jake’s voice was deep and serious as he looked down at her. “I have never been happier in my life, Claire. It’s all because of you. You’re perfect. You’re beautiful. You’re mine, and you’re never going to give a happy ending massage to anyone but me, angel.”
“I knew that wasn’t something I ever intended to do with a patient, Jake, but I filed the information away in my mind to be used with the man I loved if I ever found him.”
“Did you find him?”
Jake’s voice was quiet as he asked her, but the hesitation in it gave Claire a definite insight into his old fears. This man was so strong in everything he thought and did except for the knowledge that she loved him, was going to be with him forever, and would never leave him as he feared.
“You know I did,” she whispered, leaning forward and kissing his throat lightly. “I love you so much, Jake McKade, it scares me. How is it possible to be this much in love?”
“I don’t know, angel, but I’m glad we both love each other this much,” Jake answered, his worry still flaring to life from deep within his soul despite her words.
Claire hugged him gently, very aware of the pain that was radiating through his body from his injuries. She was also aware of the silent ache that was deep in his heart from losing his parents at such a young age. She knew that she would never be one of those people who left him, but she also knew that he was still worried about it.
“Maybe after we’ve had our third or fourth child, you’ll believe that I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, kissing the tattoo of her image that he proudly wore.
Jake sighed as she kissed him, knowing that it was nothing she ever did or said that made him think that she would leave. It was the world that deemed to take love away from him.
&nb
sp; “The Great Spirit wouldn’t take me away from you, Jake,” she told him gently. “He wants us to have a life and a family together. He wouldn’t have given you to me to shield me from the pain of the world just to have all of that pain returned to me if you were taken away.”
“I won’t be taken away, Claire,” Jake said firmly. “It’s you that I worry about being taken away from me.”
“Well, they’ll have to take me away kicking and screaming, because I’m never leaving you,” she told him, stepping out of his arms and pointing to the bed. “Now, get into bed and let me help you.”
“Yes, angel,” Jake said, his lips twitching as a smile threatened to make an appearance.
Claire leaned forward and kissed his chest lightly once again. Stepping back, she removed herself from Jake’s hold for the moment. He let her go and watched her every move, making her heart flutter just a bit at the excitement that was filling her.
She pulled back the heavy comforter, tucking aside the aqua material, along with the white sheets, to the bottom of their bed. Snapping open the large bath towel, she spread it smoothly in the middle of the bed, the darkness of the brown towel a stark relief against the white fitted sheet.
“Lie down, please,” she told him softly, reaching out to steady him as he did as she asked. She could tell that his movements were causing him no small amount of pain, but she held her tongue. She would make sure that he was relaxed and in no pain before the night was through. The fact that Jake allowed her to help him told her just how much it hurt him to move.
Once he was settled, she reached for the heated bottle of oil and flipped open the cap. The soothing scent of lavender escaped the bottle. Claire knew that the lavender aroma would help calm Jake as she used the hot oil to massage his strained muscles.
Straddling Jake’s massive thighs, she did her best to focus on the job she needed to do instead of the muscled goodness of Jake’s ass. She did her best to remain free from sexual thoughts, but it was such a great ass.
“What’s wrong, Claire?” Jake asked when she didn’t move for a while.
“Not a damned thing, cowboy,” she said, her voice deep with desire. “You have such a nice ass. Did you know that, Jake?”
Jake's Angel [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 35
